[European Union]
Moving forward on Gay rights
The conference “Combating discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation or gender identity across Europe: sharing knowledge and moving forward” started yesterday (March 27) and brings together LGBT rights activists and politicians, including ministers. It will look at how to transform the Council of Europe’s existing LGBT rights recommendation into reality, focusing on protection from hate crime and bullying, education and employment, family life and transgender equality.

[European Union]
Providing Independent Assistance to Victims of Discrimination
Equinet has launched its report titled "Providing Independent Assistance to Victims of Discrimination". This report summarizes the discussions form 2011 of the Equinet Working Group on Strategy Development (WG) and contains eight chapters elaborating on different ways of providing assistance to individuals that the members of the WG and their national equality bodies have experience with.

[UK] [Commentary]
Men Giving Birth: Media Nonsense, Or an Opportunity to Raise Awareness of Trans Issues?
Two for the price of one! That might be highly desirable when it comes to grocery shopping, but slightly less so when it comes to offending minorities, as Peter Martindale appears to have done in a blog on HuffPost U.K. I am impressed, but not in a good way.
His central thesis was that recent froth in U.K. media about a transgender man having a baby was just that: froth. The man was really a woman; move along, nothing to see here. I guess this gives something to aim at: a pretty basic piece of biological essentialism.

[Ireland]
Gender Recognition Kept on Radar
Last week Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein) asked Minister for Social Protection Joan Burton, "if her attention has been drawn to the fact that a transgender woman has officially entered a civil partnership with her female partner here, which was officially recognised by the Civil Registration Service in spite of a lack of legislation to legally recognise transgender persons; if she agrees that this amounts to legal recognition of the woman’s gender; and if she will make a statement on the matter."
Transgender woman becomes first to enter Irish same-sex partnership

[Italy]
Trans Italy celebrates and looks forward
Italy is marking 30 years since it’s groundbreaking law allowing trans people to change gender – but the debate about their rights continues

[Germany]
The Magnus Hirschfeld Foundation has started supporting LGBT projects, e. g. the exhibition "Trans*_Homo. Of lesbian, trans*, gay and other normalcies".

[Austria]
The German Ethics Council has supported the demand to provide for a legal third gender. In Austria, a similar debate ensues among parents, physicians, and jurists.

[Demmark]
Report about transman Josh Bryan who lives as a man in Denmark. His US passport correctly says he's Josh and he's male. His Danish residence permit however says he's Andrea. Now he pays taxes in both countries because he cannot prove that the Andrea who's paying taxes in Denmark is the same person as Josh who has to pay taxes in the US. Josh is fighting.

[Sweden]
Breast augmentation surgery for a transwoman was stopped when the hospital found out about her trans status. Currently, the hospital is under investigation.

[Sweden]
A Swedish study from 2008 to 2011 shows that LGBT adolescents aged 16 to 24 often have "bad habits" and live rather unhealthily. There is a comparatively high percentage of young LGBT people with obesity, there's a tendency to consume alcohol, and risky gambling is more popular. Smoking is more popular as well.

[Finland]
Pirkko Mäkinen, ombudsman for gender equality, has published a report this afternoon about the status of gender minorities in Finland. For now, the report can be only had in Finnish.

[Albania]
Albanian Official: Beat Gays with a Stick
The European Union on Tuesday condemned recent remarks by an Albanian official who advocated violence against LGBT people at an upcoming gay pride festival.

[Russia]
Nationwide ‘gay propaganda’ ban up for consideration
After gay and transgender propaganda was banned in St. Petersburg, lawmakers in the Siberian city of Novosibirsk have proposed that Russia introduces the legislation nationwide.
St Petersburg ‘gay propaganda’ law could become nationwide Russian policy
Russian lawmakers consider bill prohibiting ‘gay propaganda’
Russian Parliament to Consider Ban Against Gay Propaganda

[Nepal]
Nepal’s only gay MP calls on Facebook to add ‘third gender’
Nepal’s first openly gay MP, Sunil Bapu Pant, has called on Facebook to allow users to select “third gender” or “other” when listing their sex on the hugely popular social networking site, with the maverick politician saying that people who do not identify as male or female “continue to be sidelined by Facebook’s options”.
Gay activist Pant to quit Facebook if gender concern ignored
Facebook warned over 'third gender' option

[Nepal]
Nepal to host national LGBT games
This September, Nepal is set to host the country’s first – and indeed Asia’s first – national games for LGBT persons.

[Pakistan]
A first for Pakistan's third gender
The roots of Pakistan's inhospitality towards its minorities can be traced back over three and a half decades to the military dictatorship of Ziaul Haq - the man singlehandedly accountable for the rise of fundamentalism and retrogression in the country. Today, however, a different narrative runs through the progressive steps being taken within Pakistan's legal system - a trend exemplified by the ongoing Supreme Court case against the powerful Inter-Services Intelligence Directorate (ISI) concerning missing persons, and even more so in the issue of transgendered Pakistanis.

[Australia/New Zealand]
Carmen Rupe Facebook page disappears
A Facebook page set up on Carmen Rupe’s behalf when she was alive has disappeared overnight, amidst an increasingly hostile dispute over the use of her name.
New Facebook page set up to remember Carmen
Trust advisor: allegations are "vicious and baseless"
Carmen's family say they had Facebook page closed

[AK, USA]
Anchorage Gay Protections Prop 5 Supporters Call Opponents' Ad 'Dehumanizing'
Supporters of Proposition 5, which would expand Anchorage's anti-discrimination law, have criticized an ad released by opponents, calling it “dehumanizing.”
Controversial Prop 5 Ad Draws Criticism on Eve of Election
Political ad claims daycare centers would be forced to hire ‘transvestites'
Protect Your Rights group raises $69,000 as vote nears
Anti-LGBT Campaign Runs Transphobic Ad
Alaska's Prop 5 'Transvestite' Ad Angers LGBT Advocates, Former Governor (VIDEO)
Transphobia And Homophobia Are All In The Family For Alaska Pro-Discrimination Activist
[Commentary] Hey, No on 5: How about campaigning on the truth?
Transphobic ad against Alaskan Proposition 5 criticised
Anti-Gay Anchorage, AK, Group Attacks LGBT Community With Ad
Ads loom over Anchorage vote Tuesday
Video: One Anchorage Responds to Opponents’ Transphobic Ad
Anchorage advocacy group responds to anti-transgender ad campaign
Anchorage Gay Protections Prop 5 Passing, Poll Says
Proposition 5 backers raise more money than opponents

[Chile]
UN calls for harsher hate crime laws in Chile
The UN is urging Chile to pass tougher hate crime laws after the death of a young gay man attacked by neo-Nazis.
Repudian crimen de joven gay en Santiago ante embajada chilena en Argentina
Ezzati asegura que Iglesia acompañó a familia de Daniel Zamudio
Movilh: "Lucharemos por Ley Antidiscriminación, pero no por una ley mutilada"
Daniel Zamudio: la despedida de un símbolo de los derechos humanos
La dispar normativa gay en el mundo: Chile posee "una legislación con deficiencias"
[Opinion] Ley antidiscriminación y matrimonio igualitario